Thursday, August 29, 2013

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Commissioner Joe Martens today announced another milestone in the
state's Lake Sturgeon restoration efforts. Researchers from Cornell
University and the U.S. Geological Survey have captured two wild
juvenile sturgeon in two different locations.

"This is a truly significant event," said Commissioner Martens. "DEC
staff and partners in this effort have been eagerly awaiting this news
ever since egg-bearing female sturgeon were first detected in stocked
locations one year ago. It is a great example of how, with good science
and great partnerships, we can restore a species that nearly
disappeared from our state."

On June 12, a researcher at the U.S. Geological Survey's Tunison
Laboratory of Aquatic Sciences captured a young sturgeon in the
Oswegatchie River near the outlet of Black Lake. The 2 ½-pound, 25-inch
fish was determined to be five years old. This fish is the only small
wild sturgeon caught here for over 30 years and it may have originated
from remnant wild fish in the system or from adult fish stocked into the
Oswegatchie system over 20 years ago.

Jim Johnson, director of the Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Sciences,
said, "U.S. Geological Survey staff fulfills its scientific mission by
partnering with states in restoration work like this. We are thrilled
to be reporting this milestone."

On July 30, a second young sturgeon was captured in Oneida Lake by
researchers at Cornell University's Shackleton Point Biological Field
Station. That sturgeon, determined to be two years old was just over 19
inches long and weighed one pound. The capture of this fish indicates
successful reproduction by fish stocked as six to ten-inch fingerlings.
More than 8,000 Lake Sturgeon were stocked into Oneida Lake between
1995 and 2004. Biologists at the field station predicted that Lake
Sturgeon would begin to appear in their walleye sampling nets once the
sturgeon were about two years old.

Lars Rudstam, Director of Cornell University's Shackleton Point
Biological Field Station, said "Our staff has worked closely with DEC to
monitor the health and growth of the sturgeon population in Oneida
Lake. We are proud to be able to move into this new phase of study with
DEC."

Lake Sturgeon are the largest fish native to the Great Lakes and can
grow up to seven feet in length and may weigh more than 300 pounds.
Once abundant throughout the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and Lake
Champlain, overfishing and the impacts of dams and dredging nearly drove
them to local extinction by the turn of the 20th century. Sturgeon
harvesting, primarily for caviar, peaked in 1885 when tens of thousands
of sturgeon were taken from Lake Erie. The commercial fishery for Lake
Sturgeon was closed in 1976 and it was listed as a New York State
threatened species in 1983.

Scientists estimate that Lake Sturgeon populations in the Great
Lakes area are at about one percent of their pre-1850 numbers. DEC has
been actively working with federal, tribal and university partners to
protect and restore Lake Sturgeon throughout New York. DEC has raised
and released more than 65,000 juvenile Lake Sturgeon since 1995. In
2012 and 2013, DEC received assistance from the US Fish and Wildlife
Service's Genoa National Fish Hatchery in raising sturgeon for release
in tributaries to the St. Lawrence River.

In addition to stocked fish, some natural recovery has been observed
across the Great Lakes, the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River.
In 2009, Lake Sturgeon began using spawning beds created by the New
York Power Authority near Iroquois Dam in St. Lawrence County.

"While we are pleased with the increasing numbers of Lake Sturgeon
reported by scientist and anglers across New York, I want to remind
everyone that these fish are listed as a threatened species in New York
and fishing for them is prohibited," said Commissioner Martens. "Lake
Sturgeon take a very long time to mature and reproduce. We ask our
anglers to continue their role as environmental stewards and avoid
targeting these fish."

There are simple steps anglers can take to prevent harm to Lake
Sturgeon. First, avoid catching a Lake Sturgeon by staying away from
locations where they gather for late spring spawning. Avoid bottom
fishing with worms in areas where sturgeon are found. If one does hook a
Lake Sturgeon, it must be released unharmed immediately. Avoid
bringing it into a boat or out of water if possible and minimize its
time out of water. If it must be removed from the water, support its
body horizontally; never hold it vertically or by head, gills or tail.
The hook may be removed with pliers.

If a sturgeon is tagged, it is important to note the tag number and call the contact number on the tag or call DEC at 518-402-8924. For more information on Lake Sturgeon, visit DEC's website.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

When you hire a guide on the Upper Delaware or anywhere
else, don't make assumptions, check to see if your guide is licensed.

On the Upper Delaware guides are required to be licensed by up to three
entities. On water that is 100% in NY, a NY guide license. On the
border water of the West Branch and the Main Stem, a NY guide license is needed, and a PA license is needed to launch or take out on the PA side; on the main river a National Park Service license is also required.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

ALEXANDRIA, VA. (August 15, 2013) -
Showing a resurgence in one of America’s favorite pastimes, the number
of Americans who go fishing is up, with more than 47 million people
participating in 2012. Adding to the 42.5 million who are current or
occasional anglers, more than 4.5 million first-timers tried fishing
last year, a significant increase from 2011 and the highest number of
new participants ever recorded. The 2013 Special Report on Fishing and Boating just released by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and The Outdoor Foundation also shows significant increases in fishing participation among women and children.

”We’re
extremely pleased to see the number of first-time anglers and overall
anglers, continue to rise,” said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson.
“Working closely with our industry and state agency partners, our
collective effort is yielding well deserved results. Increased
participation, in both fishing and boating, leads to increased license
sales, and boat registrations, key sources for funding state fish and
wildlife conservation programs.”

“Fishing
and boating are among the most important ‘gateway’ activities that
often lead people, especially youth, to pursue other recreation
experiences,” said Christine Fanning, Executive Director of the Outdoor
Foundation. “We’re thrilled to partner, once again, with the
Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation on this important research
project.”

About The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF)Celebrating 15 years in 2013, RBFF
is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation
in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring
the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF developed the award-winning
Take Me Fishing™ campaign to create awareness around boating, fishing
and conservation, and educate people about the benefits of
participation. Take Me Fishing helps boaters and anglers of all ages and
experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The
campaign website, TakeMeFishing.org, features tips and how-to’s that can
be used all over the country, tools to compare different styles of
boats, information on how to get a fishing license and boat
registration, and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors
to find local boating and fishing spots.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

CROSSLAKE, MINNESOTA – db Paracord launches
new product; Camo For A CauseTM survival bracelet. Starting in September, the db Paracord Camo For CauseTM survival
bracelet will be sold in 13 Cabela’s stores Nationwide. The connection
between Cabela’s and db Paracord was made by Damon’s father Bruce
through social media and they continue to rely on social media every
day.

“We are very excited to be working with a great
outfitter like Cabela’s and expect that our companies will continue to
work together and this will help db Paracord grow and support our
cause,” said Damon.

Db
Paracord’s mission is for you to show your passion for the outdoors and supporting your cause with the db Paracord’s Camo For A CauseTM
survival bracelet. The camouflage paracord allows people to see that
you love the outdoors and with the pink running through the core of the
bracelet represents core belief; the fight against breast cancer. db
Paracord is donating $.50 from every bracelet sold to the Breast
Cancer Research Foundation.

db
Paracord was founded by 16 year old Damon Billington in 2012. Damon
originally made camo and orange bracelets and gave them to friends.
After enough people began asking for bracelets Damon decided to launch
db Paracord with the help of his four closest friends. db Paracord
builds custom bracelets, bow slings, fishing lanyards, and turkey
totes. The money raised from the team’s hard work will go towards
their cancer charity and their college funds.